Mentorship Perspectives

February 1 will mark 6 months since I launched Rensel Consulting, LLC.  To say that 2023 was a rollercoaster of emotions would be an understatement of the decade for me.  It was hard to say goodbye to lifelong friends, knowing that despite our commitments to stay in touch life would inevitably take us in different directions.  The successes and the failures I had over the final 18 months shaped me and I learned a lot about myself and what my future might look like.  I also learned a lot about where my career, no, where my “life” might lead me next. 

I was so proud to learn that my most recent mentee and great friend Loujin Daher, P.E., M.ASCE has been selected for a prestigious award (although I’m not allowed to say which one yet!).  Loujin and I met through the Gannett Fleming Connected Women Mentorship Program.  This is a wonderful program, created by very forward-thinking women to provide an avenue for young professionals to grow their network, hone their professional skills, and attain great goals.  People like Judy Hricak, CPSM, CiPP and Barbara McLemore.  I’ve been surrounded by great mentors and friends (and friends who became mentors) for most of my career. 

As part of my ITE—A Community of Transportation Professionals campaign, I have centered my platform around workforce development.  You can learn more about that by checking out the videos on my website (https://www.renselconsulting.com/moonshots). 

Even though I don’t mention mentorship by name in my platform, it is inherent in my belief system.  Here are some key points that I believe are important for mentors and mentees to be effective together:

Patience.

Mentors are extremely busy, that’s why they are seen as mentors in the first place.  Mentees want to ask questions and want to soak up knowledge.  Without patience from the mentor, the mentee will go away from the conversation feeling like the mentor was only partially committed and maybe they didn’t want to be a mentor in the first place.  I received patience from Robert Scaer, P.E..  When Bob, the CEO of our company, started taking time out of his schedule to have lunch with me or involve me in important meetings, I felt so honored and humbled.  I can’t relay all the advice he has given me over the years here but there were many.  They probably felt like simple things or statements to him but to me they meant the world.

Perseverance.

Mentees are committed to becoming better professionals and sometimes better people.  But when you are going through the process as a mentee it can be like staring at a 1000-piece puzzle without a picture to go by.  This is where the mentor must be fully engaged and be ready to help the mentee stay focused on the big parts of the picture while trying not to get distracted by the small parts that don’t seem to fit.  My great friends and mentors that come to mind are Andrew Gillespie, Joe Tulumello, AIA, Matthew J. Schiemer, PE, Brendan Wesdock, MCP, GISP , and William (Bill) Foos, MBA, CPP, PSP.  These five individuals were instrumental in my life at a key time of difficulty and without them I am not sure I would have been able to persevere.

Persistence.

Wait, you might say that perseverance and persistence are the same, but according to Google AI, an example of persistence is finishing what you started while perseverance is mustering the will to perform – so take that!  Mentors must be the voice in the distance, the light at the end of the tunnel, or whatever visual reference this conjures up for you.  The best mentors I have had for this were the people that worked directly for me and with me.  This might seem like an odd arrangement to find mentors in but if you are an introspective person, a trait I think many mentors have in common, then you understand.  I truly feel blessed to think of these people as friends and family: Todd Szymkowski, PE, PTOE, PMP, David A. Graham, Laurie Matkowski, PMP, Patrick Son, P.E. and Chuck Yorks.  They helped me become a leader, they gave me the grace to fail, and they helped pick me back up again.  There is no greater sense of pride and gratefulness than feeling truly loved and accepted by great people.

Perspective.

Having people that you can trust that are outside of your daily routine, and perhaps even your organization is important as a mentee.  Mentorship is about developing yourself and it’s OK to be a bit selfish.  I’m not suggesting that a mentee should air organizational grievances, but rather seek counsel on how they can be better, handle a situation more successfully, or rise above a difficult situation (or even how to gracefully handle success).  As I think back to some of my mentors that have relied upon, that’s what they have given me.  There are literally dozens of people that I could give credit to under this heading, but the ones at the top of my mind include John Corbin, Leslie Richards, Tom Martin, Scott Marler, and my late friend Joey Sagal.  I think that perspective is also the number one thing that my ITE family has given me collectively.  Whether they’ve known it or not, they have been with me through some truly exciting times and difficult times in my life.  You’ll often hear experienced ITE members say that one of the rewarding things about ITE membership is the ability to give back.  I believe that they are talking about perspective (sure you could also say amazing talent) when they mention the reward.  I am truly blessed that ITE found me and that I found it back.

As you can see, a mentor is not a single person to model yourself after, rather a melding of many different ideas and experiences that you string together to create your own version of you.  We are a product of our environment and we do reflect those we surround ourselves with.  I am truly blessed to have the friendship and mentorship of so many.  Whether I am elected as the next ITE Vice President or not, I plan to continue this journey, but go ahead and vote for me anyway.

Eric Rensel
(CEO & Founder)